Drug Holidays From ADHD Medication

Abstract

Drug holidays from ADHD medication could be a useful tool with multiple purposes: assessment, management, prevention, and negotiation.

Brief and extended abstinence from chronic oral methylphenidate treatment produces reversible behavioral and physiological effects

“…In conclusion, this study demonstrates that an altered schedule of chronic MP consumption consistent with real-world use (Ibrahim & Donyai, 2014) attenuates body weight, and anxietyand depressive-like behaviors but increases locomotor activity and exploratory behaviors. However, while certain effects of MP treatment in healthy individuals may be short-lived, other behavioral and developmental effects may persist even following prolonged cessation of MP treatment.…”

“…Stimulants, including MP, are known to decrease food consumption and body weight in individuals with and without ADHD (Carias et al, 2019;Danilovich, Mastrandrea, Cataldi, & Quattrin, 2014;Davis et al, 2007;Diez-Suarez, Vallejo-Valdivielso, Marin-Mendez, Castro-Manglano, & Soutullo, 2017;Elfers & Roth, 2011;Martin et al, 2018;Robison, Michaelos, et al, 2017;Thanos et al, 2015), and one of the reasons given for choosing to take "drug holidays" among ADHD patients is to ameliorate these effects (Ibrahim & Donyai, 2014). The knowledge from this study is consistent with the findings in the present previous reports that HD MP exposure generally decreased food consumption and body weight (Carias et al, 2019;Martin et al, 2018;Robison, Michaelos, et al, 2017;Thanos et al, 2015), and provides preclinical evidence that "drug holidays" do not protect against decreases in body weight.…”

“…to 75% of individuals prescribed MP take intentional breaks from medicine-taking, otherwise known as "drug holidays" (Ibrahim & Donyai, 2014). "Drug holidays" often coincide with weekends and seasonal breaks from school, with fewer prescriptions of MP being written in the summer compared to spring months (Cascade, Kalali, Weisler, & Lenderts, 2008;Martins et al, 2004;Shyu et al, 2016).…”

“…"Drug holidays" often coincide with weekends and seasonal breaks from school, with fewer prescriptions of MP being written in the summer compared to spring months (Cascade, Kalali, Weisler, & Lenderts, 2008;Martins et al, 2004;Shyu et al, 2016). The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recommends these breaks in order to test the need for continued pharmacotherapy in children and adolescents with ADHD (Ibrahim & Donyai, 2014;van de Loo-Neus, Rommelse, & Buitelaar, 2011;Pliszka, 2007), and parents tend to utilize these breaks in order to manage the negative side effects observed in their children, including suppressed appetite and stunted growth (Ibrahim & Donyai, 2014;Shyu et al, 2016). However, few clinical and preclinical studies on the behavioral and physiological impact of "drug holidays" have been conducted (Carias et al, 2019;Griggs, Weir, Wayman, & Koeltzow, 2010;Martins et al, 2004).…”

What stops practitioners discussing medication breaks in children and adolescents with ADHD? Identifying barriers through theory-driven qualitative research

“…There are seasonal patterns associated with using stimulant medication that coincide with school holidays (Shyu et al 2016 ; Cascade et al 2008 ). A systematic literature review found that between 25 and 70% of families follow the school-time medication pattern (Ibrahim and Donyai 2015 ). Different factors have been reported to affect the pattern adopted by families such as parents’ ability to cope with the child’s behaviour, the child’s academic progress, the location of the child’s problematic behaviour, severity of symptoms, and parental beliefs about the medication (Kinda et al 2016 ).…”